Next time Trent woke, it was still pitch-dark outside and the television had timed off. Three hours had passed, and Trent was still reclined as much as he could on the couch with Wood resting peacefully against his stomach. He didn’t want to move. He wouldn’t mind staying in that position all night, but he needed to take another muscle relaxer. Trent lay there for a moment staring up at the ceiling and idly stroking Wood’s sexy hair. He felt sorry for the men that worked so hard with hair dyes and expensive products to achieve a look that Wood wore effortlessly. Trent was getting solid again and unconsciously lifted his hips in search of more pressure.
“Is your back hurting?” Wood asked in the hottest sleep-laden voice he’d ever heard.
Trent hissed through clenched teeth when Wood shifted against him, nuzzling his face into his abs. Of course, Wood was a light sleeper. “No, it’s not my back that’s hurting,” Trent confessed. He found it was easier to be brazen in the dark.
Trent slowly opened his eyes when Wood’s firm hand glided over his chest. He stopped just at the base of his throat, and Trent swallowed the massive ball of nerves lodged there.
“What aches, Trent?” Wood asked. “Tell me.”
Oh god. Trent was embarrassed at how fast he was breathing, knowing Wood could hear his pounding heartbeat from where he was lying on his chest. He had physical urges that bordered on torturous agony. But he knew this wasn’t the time for him to be selfish and tell Wood that he wanted him to make all the loneliness and emptiness he felt inside disappear. How could he explain to Wood that his pride hurt the most when he’d so casually said he was leaving Trent behind?
“What is it?” Wood asked, sounding more concerned.
Trent looked down and caressed Wood’s cheek. He stared longingly for a moment, wanting something to call his own. “Nothing.”
“Don’t do that. I can already see it’s not nothing, but I was hoping you’d just go ahead and tell me,” Wood rumbled.
Trent forced himself to take a deep breath.
“You don’t trust me anymore… you were getting there… but I blew it,” Wood said softly.
Trent immediately began to shake his head. Everyone was entitled to one fuckup, and according to him, Wood was no different. Like he said, he was just a man. “No. Not at all.”
“Be honest,” Wood demanded.
“I am. It’s the opposite of that actually.” Trent leaned forward as Wood’s hot breath fanned over his throat. “Now, I can see who you are, Herschel Wood Jr. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Wood cradled the back of his neck, drawing him closer. “And?”
Trent was only inches away now. “And… I like it. I like you.”
“I like you too. But… there’s something else,” Wood prompted.
“But… People disappear on me as soon as I get used to ’em. I um… I’m just not sure how comfortable I should get with you Wood,” Trent said openly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Wood said, and Trent really wanted to believe that.
“That’s not what you said the other night.”
“I’m sure I said a lot, Trent, and I’m kind of glad I don’t remember everything. But really all I should be saying now is thank you.” Wood pulled Trent down until their noses brushed together. “And forgive me.”
Trent sighed, feeling ten times better with just those few simple words that were so important for him to hear. “Forgive me too,” Trent whispered. “Forgive me for not answering.”
“Trent,” Wood said huskily, parting his mouth.
Trent kept his eyes open until Wood’s lips met his own. The initial contact was a shock, like a charge of electricity that shot straight to his head. Wood’s hand tightened on his neck, and the pressure increased to the point that Trent couldn’t hold in his moan a second longer. Wood’s warm tongue flicked the corner of his mouth, causing him to gasp and turn toward it. He propped his foot on the coffee table so he didn’t have to bend over so far and brought Wood up to him.
Trent wrapped both arms around the pillow under Wood’s head and hugged him closer, wanting to be as connected to him as he could in that moment. He’d never felt so light-headed from being kissed, and Wood was slowly teasing his sanity with the gentle licks across his bottom lip. Trent tried to control his breathing, but Wood was suffering the same as him. Wood’s beard brushed against his, causing more of those unique sensations to tingle all over his body. More! Trent’s mind hollered, and his mouth obeyed.
Chapter Thirty-One
Wood
“Mmmm,” Wood moaned as he sucked on Trent’s curious tongue. The past few weeks had felt more like months as he waited for his roommate to stop teasing him and make his move. Or to at least admit to himself that he wanted to.
Wood was resting his head comfortably on the pillow, his body relaxed in Trent’s strong arms as he held him tightly to him. The kiss was quickly building in passion, and Wood fought to stay in control and not flip Trent over on his stomach and pounce on top of his ass. He dug his hand in Trent’s hair and pulled, groaning when he was rewarded with more tongue searching deep in his mouth.
“You taste as good as you smell,” Trent whispered along his cheek, coming up for air.
Wood let his head fall to the side so Trent could continue his quest, trying to allow him this time to get to know what he liked in a man without swaying him. Wood enjoyed the smattering of kisses along his Adam’s apple and up his jawline. He’d been handling himself fairly well until Trent rubbed his smooth beard along his, erotically scraping their jaws against each other, and Wood’s hips came off the couch.
He captured Trent’s gasp as he drove his tongue inside for a thorough taste of that smart mouth. It tasted as spicy as he thought it would, and the more he pulled on that thick bottom lip, the deeper he wanted the taste. Their tongues tangled and dueled for long stretches of time, until Wood’s thigh was damp from his precome. Trent was driving him to the brink, moaning and grunting against his own ragged breaths, the sounds of their kiss reminding him of a climactic scene in an erotic movie.
Wood continued to hold Trent’s jaw while he eased his other hand beneath the covers. He couldn’t resist as he curled his fingers around his throbbing shaft, his palm gliding along the slickness. His mouth fell open, and Trent eased back, his eyes cutting to Wood’s obvious movements beneath the comforter. He saw the interest and fear in those warm eyes before a flash of determination settled over his handsome face.
“Trent.” Wood’s voice was pained from his thirst, yet he didn’t care how he sounded. “I need you so bad. Just a taste, Trent. Please.”
Trent’s breathing tripled, and the expression on his face told Wood it was more from excitement than fright. He couldn’t wait another night, another hour—he needed Trent to give him something. Even a taste would suffice, so at least he’d know he had something to look forward to besides more flirting and teasing.
“I just wanna sample, baby,” Wood purred as he tossed his pillow from under his head. “I need more than your mouth. I do. I need you so much.”
Trent licked his lips, then did it again as if the flavor lingering on them was pleasing. He nodded his head slowly but didn’t release him when he tried to turn over. “Maybe you should still be taking it easy.”